Saturday, October 15:
- 10:00 am Monarchs and Milkweed – 11-year old 4-H member Danny Bravo presents his Monarch butterfly Way Stations preservation project, featured on HBO’s documentary “Saving My World”
- 10:00 am Detection Dogs & Invasive Agro Pests – Lourdes Edlin – learn how those sensitive noses work to help find infestations early
- 11:00 am Goat Milking – Flair’s Fayre goatherd, Christina Nielsen, will show you how
- 11:00 am Asian Vegetables for South Florida – Dr. Qingren Wang, UF/IFAS commercial vegetable extension agent, shows us great, easy-to-grow vegetables that thrive in our climate
- noon Easy Cooking with Seasonal Vegetables – Thi Squire, Homestead Hospital’s Grow2Heal project manager, shows how to prepare fast and easy dishes with local veggies
- noon Aliens among us – Mark Fagan, FDACS, exposes eminent exotic invaders in our area
- noon What is 4-H? – The 4-H program and 4-H project presentations
- 1:00 pm Rain Barrel Workshop – Barbara McAdam, PA, Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program (workshop is free, but advance registration is required to reserve a rain barrel @$40) Note: we can hold barrels for folks who would like to spend the afternoon at the event.
- 1:00 pm Beekeeping – introduction for FIU VeSFO/Wounded Warrior Project participants
- 1:30 pm Students’ Local cookoff challenge – student teams + limited ingredients + a mystery box of locally-grown food + 3 judges = challenging our future chefs’ creative expression using our local seasonal bounty.
- 3:00 pm Home Composting – Adrian Hunsberger, UF/IFAS Urban Horticulture Agent/Entomologist/Master Gardener program coordinator, learn easy techniques for composting your food and yard waste. Pre-registration is free and encouraged here> Evenbrite Miami-Dade residents will get a voucher for a free compost bin from Solid Waste (one per household)
- 3:00 pm Herbs for Attracting Pollinators – Carolyn Coppolo, Redland Herb Farm
- All day Master Gardener Plant Clinic
- All day Kids’ Activities – Farm Bureau and 4-H
Sunday, October 16:
- 10:00 am Detection Dogs & Invasive Agro Pests – Lourdes Edlin – learn how those sensitive noses work to help find infestations early
- 10:45 am Goat Milking – Flair’s Fayre goatherd, Christina Nielsen, will show you how
- 11:00 am Pollinator Facts and Myths – Adrian Hunsberger, UF/IFAS Urban Horticulture Agent/Entomologist/Master Gardener program coordinator, discusses the importance of pollinators, what food crops insects pollinate and do some myth busting! You’ll learn how plants are pollinated – and it’s not just insects!
- 11:30 am Art of Kombucha – Buster, master booch crafter and owner of Counter Culture, will share his craft and samples
- 12:30 pm Herbs for Attracting Pollinators – Carolyn Coppolo, Redland Herb Farm
- 12:30 pm Planting and Care of your Young Tropical Fruit Trees – Jeff Wasielewski, MS, UF/IFAS Tropical Fruit Extension Agent will do a show and tell, and actually plant a young tree in the park
- 1:30 om Aliens among us – Mark Fagan, FDACS, exposes eminent exotic invaders in our area
- 1:30 pm Chefs’ Local Cookoff Challenge – 5 top chefs + limited ingredients + a mystery box of locally-grown food + 3 judges = a recipe for exciting creations with the unique foods of South Florida.
- 2:30 pm What is 4-H? – The 4-H program and 4-H project presentations
- 3:00 pm Detection Dogs & Invasive Agro Pests – Lourdes Edlin – learn how those sensitive noses work to help find infestations early
- All day Master Gardener Plant Clinic
- All day Kids’ Activities – Farm Bureau and 4-H
Music
Singer/Songwriter Grant Livingston, South Florida’s Historian-in-Song
and GrowFest! Emcee
Local Bluegrass group Corn Country
Local student rock band One Dimension
Daily Giveaways – door prizes
11:45 am, 2:00 pm, and 4:15 pm
Fruit Tree, Jackfruit Curry meal for 2, basket of goat milk soaps, Starter garden kit, NatgrowthPlus, Kombucha, 10lb bag of compost, 1 night stay at Paradise Farm’s Zen Bungalow, garden hat, decorative shopping bag, herb basket, bee-loving native plants, Garden seeds, Fruit & Spice Park memberships, plants, gift certificates and coupons
